Experts Recommend The Air-Purifying Plants That Will Work Overtime In Your Small Space

2020 was the year of the great indoors. And, since we couldn’t recreate misty ocean breezes or the Santa Ana winds inside our apartments, many of us relied on houseplants to refresh the air inside our spaces. Now, we’re back in the swing of spring and it’s time to give that air-purifying indoor pandemic garden a refresh.

“Plants improve the quality of air in a small space,” Joyce Mast, Bloomscape’s resident Plant Mom, tells Refinery29. “Houseplants not only increase oxygen, but they’re also natural air purifiers and can remove toxins (including volatile organic compounds such as formaldehyde, found in everyday materials like paint and plastics).” While fresh air is nice and being surrounded by plants makes many of us happy, their air-purifying abilities can actually make us feel better physically as well. “Removing these toxins can reduce symptoms caused by pollutants like allergies, headaches, fatigue, etc,” the expert explains. “Plants absorb gasses via the spores on their leaves, reducing airborne mold and leaving us with fresh oxygen!”

With allergy season upon us and with us still spending time indoors, it’s an ideal time to stock up on some new air-cleaning plants. But which ones should we be buying? “Though it is true that all plants purify the air in some way or form, there are a few that do it better than others,” plant curator Riley Gallagher says. Ahead, Gallagher and Mast share the air-purifying plants they recommend most.

Scroll on to find out which clean-air producing plants are right for you and your home. Once you’ve decided which ones to go for, Gallagher advises cleaning the leaves with a damp towel about once a month or more, depending on how dusty your home gets. This will ensure carbon dioxide can go in and oxygen can come out. As the plant curator says, “A happy plant is the best breath of fresh air one can get during these quarantimes.”